A gathering place for doers

Opening Summer 2015

Ever since Switchyards was announced
last June, I’ve been getting questions about what exactly it is. Everyone
wants a label. Incubator, collaborative workspace, fund, accelerator, train
station, etc, etc. It’s parts of all of that - a mashup intentionally.
The lines between all this stuff are very blurry nowadays. Putting a system around
starting companies is changing every week. Hopefully, this clears it up.

Switchyards is a Downtown Club

As I laid out all of the pieces of what we’re doing, it became clear
to me that Switchyards is a homage to the old city clubs that were popular
in American cities in the early part of the 20th century. Common interests
always tied those clubs together. We’re the modern version with startups, design,
culture and pride for Atlanta as our common themes. These old city
clubs produced results (sometimes in the form of Olympic medals), had kick-ass names/logos
and set-up shop in beautiful Downtown buildings.
Oh, and let me get this out of the way…

Is it one of those stuffy, private and expensive “clubs”?

NO.

Nothing against those clubs but we’re the furthest thing from that.
Our only requirements are that you be a doer and passionate about
brand/design. Everything else is optional.

Timeline

PHASE 1 (next 12 months): PLACE + CULTURE

This next year is all about nailing the look, feel and
culture of the Switchyards Building - all centered around a very intentional
theme — consumer brands and design. Events and programming will help set
the tone as well. Note: we close on the building in March and will open
this summer after renovations are done.

PHASE 2 (6–18 months): TALENT + STARTUPS

This phase is about curating the best like-minded talent, ideas and companies.
The right mix will be able to launch a bunch of ideas. Launching is an important
first step, but it’s not the only step…

PHASE 3 (12 months and on): AT-BATS + SCALE

Creating density around a certain type of startup allows us
to get really good at the tactics that make them go - grow into sustainable,
delightful businesses. It's our one thing - our unfair advantage.
Consumer companies are more art than science and
need more (and increasingly smarter) at-bats to break-through.

A brief history of city clubs

"A club is an association of two or more people united by
a common interest or goal." Coffeehouses were the original clubhouse.
With the introduction of coffee-drinking in the
middle of the 17th century, clubs entered a more permanent phase.
Not much has changed actually. Now I know why Mark Twain said, "there is no such
thing as a new idea."

Popular city clubs in the early 1900's included social clubs,
university clubs, shuffleboard clubs (St. Pete’s was started in 1924),
women’s clubs, gentlemens clubs (definition has changed) and athletic
clubs. The social or cultural element was just as important (if not more)
than the main theme. The goal of athletic clubs was to mix
athletics with society. Athletics was the conduit. The Los Angeles Athletic Club,
as an example, was founded in 1880. Not only did many members win medals
at the 1932 Olympics, it had a significant impact on Los Angeles society
and early Hollywood.

Atlanta Athletic Club

While I studied the other city clubs in Atlanta in the early 1900's
(ie: Concordia Hall,
in Downtown Atlanta — building still standing
on Mitchell St. — which later became the Standard Club),
I’m focusing this history on the Atlanta Athletic Club for a few reasons:
I consider it the mold of what a true old-school city club was like, it grew to
prominence in Downtown over 70 years but didn’t survive the subsequent
growth of the suburbs, and the old AAC building was located 30 yards
from the current Switchyards Building.

The Atlanta Athletic Club was founded in 1898 by mainly professionals
in their 20's, who worked in real estate or the law to serve the leisure
needs of the burgeoning city.

1) Original Atlanta Athletic Club
on Edgewood Ave. 2) Atlanta Athletic Club building in the old Lyric
Theatre building on Carnegie Way and Cone St., 1924-1972 3) Switchyards

Their original downtown club was located on 56 Edgewood Avenue. In
1908, the club hired its first athletic director, John Heisman — of
Heisman Trophy fame. What was most interesting is that during
the club’s early years, many of Atlanta’s great companies
were founded — Coca-Cola, Atlanta Steel Hoop Company
(Atlantic Steel), Georgia Electric Light Company (Georgia Power) and
Industrial Aid Association (Life Insurance Company of Georgia).
Many of the executives joined the club.

It later moved to 37–39 Auburn Avenue where the installation of the
telephone drew the most attention (it was before many private homes
in Atlanta had them).

In 1924, the Atlanta Athletic Club moved again into the
old Lyric Theatre
, originally a Vaudeville theatre, at Carnegie Way and Cone Street. The 10-story
140,000 square foot building had an indoor pool in the basement,
the largest dining room of any city club in the country, a barbershop,
ballrooms, and 60 rooms for overnight accommodations for members and
their guests. Saturday night basketball games were popular social
activities, often followed by a dance. Seriously. Dinner and dancing on the
rooftops was a very popular attraction. It sounded awesome.

Downfall

But, urban social club membership dwindled in large part due to
members movement to the suburbs. The Atlanta Athletic Club’s Downtown building
was closed and sold in 1972. It got imploded in 1973 (first building implosion in the
south) to become a hotel. Plans never materialized. It, sadly, has been a surface parking
lot since 1978. The club isn't a city club anymore. It's now located in
Johns Creek as a country club. (See where they got the city/country club terms?)

More than the physical moves away from Downtown, what’s most disappointing is that
nothing filled the gap. I’m 35 and grew up in Atlanta and I literally don’t
know a member of a single city club here. There's room for a new one.

Back to present day

It seems so obvious to me. Bring back the best elements of the urban
city club and make it 100% focused on things that matter to our
generation of company builders, passionate Atlantans and design-lovers.
What can happen with the right combination of culture, talent, design and
social programming?

Our beliefs

Special time — This is the best time in history to be starting/doing in Atlanta.

Atlanta — Our city is central to what we’re doing. Pride in the
city. Can we be the generation that catapults us into the world's great cities?

Lots of things go into making a great city. It involves
culture — the art, the music — and the landscape. It also involves
the buildings that surround the people and the plazas where they gather.
They are crucial to a city's identity. It's part of the reason you want
to visit Paris and New York. - Thomas Wheatley, Creative Loafing, "Atlanta needs a design director"

History — We’re paying tribute to the vanishing
city social clubs. We love history. Especially local
history. We have major respect for the ingenuity that came before us.
The building will have an old school feel to it.
We're talking newspapers in the lobby.

Fun - Work isn’t just work anymore. We (founders)
are looking for jobs (and homes) that are consistent with our lifestyle.
You’ll spend more time at Switchyards than you will at your home.
Make it an unreal experience - a fun and inspiring place to break bread
and start companies

Design — Great design everywhere you turn — the
building and the companies. It’ll be the differentiator in startups
over next 5–10 yrs.

Focus — We need to be the best place to start this
kind of company.

Downtown — This is the only area of town
where we could do this — walkable, old building, history, amenities,
Marta, Streetcar, MLS/Hawks games, etc.

Athletics — we might build a super small gym
but no this isn’t a workout facility. But, we’ll pay homage to
athletics as we hope to become the unofficial headquarters of our
MLS team's supporters.
Oh, and also the resurgent Hawks. We’re squarely on the bandwagon.
Both stadiums are a short walk away.

Diversity - The club will be as diverse
as all Switchyards events have been.
And not just in gender, race, etc. but in talents, backgrounds and quirkiness.
One thing is for sure, it won't be based on last name or standing.
It'll be based on doing & a common interest/passion in design and Atlanta.

Results — Be effective. Old city clubs had pride
in producing top amateur athletes. Let's do the the same thing for startups.

There’s something kind of charming about Atlanta, but it still
has stuff that all the major cities have– a good art museum,
amazing restaurants. Atlanta has really, really good food. I
think Atlanta can kind of be an underdog among major cities,
but I have really high hopes for it. It’s got a fight to it
that I like." — David Kowalski, Brick + Mortar

Next up

Over the next few weeks, we’ll lay out all the pieces that make up
the Switchyards Downtown Club — programming, prices/membership levels,
amenities, upcoming events, tours, maps, directions, etc.

If you want your mug (or name) honored permanently in the lobby of
the space, join 550 others and become a
Founding Member.